The Mother Circle
by Potikanda
Summary: A bit of fluff dredged from my deepest dreams. How the Mother was unmade, and reborn. Future A/U fic, featuring Klaine and daughter. I blame StarGleekBelle. Pure, unadulterated fluffiness. No smut, sorry.


_**Okay, so I totally blame StarGleekBelle for this. Not that she'll ever know it, because I don't think she reads any of my stuff, but it's all her fault. I've been going over some of her old stories, reading and reviewing, and, of course, loving every single thing she's ever posted. Naturally.**_

_**But I was reading a few of her stories, and then fell asleep, and I was so calm, so serene in that dream, and it was as though I was a part of it. And because I had been reading Klaine right before the dream, they figured prominently in what I was dreaming about. **_

_**It's not as unusual as the last few have been. I apologise for the weirdness of my last few stories. This one makes up for them, I'm pretty sure. When I was finished this story, I leaned back and was calm, for the first time in a very long time. I feel accomplished after this, and that's saying something since I haven't felt complete in a very, very long time. **_

_**Anyway. Here's to StarGleekBelle, and her wacky stories. And you, my dear readers, to whom I owe everything.**_

* * *

"_Fathers, where are we going? I've not been here before."_

The young spirit looked around her, sensing a change in the mood of her fathers. They had been joyful and jubilant during the course of the morning, but as they approached their destination, the tone of the journey had changed. It was now more sombre, with a hint of sorrow in the air. Her eyes travelled between the shimmery faces of her fathers, and the vast tracts of land that they had come to see.

"_This is the place where the Mother finally rebelled against our ancestors. Look closely, you can see the spirits walking."_

Her father motioned towards the valley below, and as he stated, the view of the billions of creatures that had roamed the Earth came into view, lapping over one another as the time progressed in fashion. She looked up at her fathers, who smiled down at her in benevolence.

"_But why? Why did the Mother forsake our ancestors to the point of obliterating them? Why did she not give them a chance?"_

Her fathers led her to a small rise, and the taller one waved his arm. She studied him for a moment, taking in the hint of soft brown hair, the quiet details of his kind bluish green eyes, and the soft tilt to his lips.

"_Look, and I will show you."_

The air in front of them shimmered once more, and the billions of creatures were gone, replaced with a window in the air in which sat an isolated child. The child wept, his bluish green eyes so like her fathers', that the young spirit wished to weep along with the child. Her bright eyes glanced at her father as he began to speak.

"_The Earth Mother was once a benevolent being. Kindness and compassion ruled her, and she showed mercy and love to those who roamed her surface. She comforted the injured, healed the sick by allowing the humans to use her plants, and tended to the dead within her bosom."_

The window changed, showing the young boy standing beside an open hole, continuing to weep as his father held his hand in grief. A container was lowered into the hole, and the boy's father began to weep as well. The young spirit felt herself shift closer to the window, reaching out her hand as though to offer comfort to the child from long ago.

"_When the world began, and humans were first brought into being, they were much like the child you see. They were young, naïve, and gentle. They believed that they would always be as they were. But then atrocities were committed."_

His hand waved once more, and the young spirit could see the boy, older now; the same kind face, but stronger. He looked quite similar to her father, and her eyes rounded as she looked between the two. The boy was walking in a building, and was pushed from the side by another boy. He bounced off of the wall slightly, then slid down to the ground, tears standing in his eyes.

The spirit cried out, her compassionate heart feeling the pain of the abuse. How could those others be so cruel? Why would they push such a gentle soul? Her hand reached out once more, even though she knew it had been many millennia since this boy had been alive. She turned her heartbroken eyes to her other father, who wrapped her in his loving caress. His quiet smile gentled and calmed her, his light hazel eyes twinkling with the adoration she knew so well. Her hand crept up his neck as he held her close, her fingers finding the small curls dangling from the back of his neck.

"_In time, love would triumph over the pain and sorrow of youth. A love that became a story to last through the ages."_

The window now showed another young man, who looked remarkably like her other father, but smiled much more frequently, and bounced when he walked. Her small inhalation drew her parents' attention, and she slid from her father's embrace to stand very near the window. She watched the two young men as they walked along the building, hand in hand, smiling. She turned, and when she saw her fathers' standing side by side, she knew.

"_It was **you**!" _

Her exclamation caused a soft blush to appear on the cheeks of both adult spirits, and they lazily linked their hands together, as she had seen them do so many times before. Her taller father smiled softly.

"_Yes. We were them, and they were us, in the past. We spent many years alive together, before the Mother took us into her breast once more. Once we had passed, though, the world had become disordered."_

The scene now showed the slaughter of creatures, most of which had done nothing wrong but to have been born, and the subsequent severing of the flesh from the bones. The people were putting the flesh in their mouths, and the young spirit trembled with horror.

"_What are they doing?"_

Her shorter father sighed, the sound of regret and loss in his voice.

"_They are eating. They must consume the flesh of animals and plants to gain the energy to live. With so many humans on the Mother, she had to produce many more creatures for the humans to consume in order to be able to survive."_

The young spirit looked back at him, confused.

"_Surely they could have gained their energy from the Father in the sky, as we do?"_

The young spirit looked up towards the Father, burning as brightly as ever, and slowly brought the energy through her malleable form, renewing herself as she had always done. The Father always provided her with the sustenance she required.

"_The humans were not like us. They depended on the Father, but not in quite the same way. He was there to make things grow. He allowed the plants and creatures to survive, by creating a chain of life that started with the smallest of plants, and grew to the largest of creatures. The smaller creatures would consume the plants, the larger creatures would consume the smaller ones, and so forth." _

He looked down at his daughter, his heart going out to her to make her understand the history of their kind. She felt his compassion and love, and drifted slowly toward him for comfort.

"_But what sort of creatures? What did they look like? Were they as horrible as humans were?"_

Her taller father floated forward once more, a small smile playing over his lips. The spirit smiled back, knowing her father was going to impart his very best wisdom to her. He always got a special look to him when he was warming up to a subject.

"_The creatures that roamed the land with the humans were too numerous to name, love. There were small beetles that crawled along the grass, moles that burrowed in the soil, weasels and foxes and bears that ran and jumped and stood on their back feet as men did."_

The window showed pictures of these creatures as he said them, the young spirit's eyes widening as she learned of the different types of beings that had inhabited the land so very long ago.

"_There were dogs and cats, who often shared the homes of the humans, as guardians and watchers. They protected the humans from other creatures, as well as other humans, and were fed and cared for in exchange."_

The window changed to larger creatures, standing tall and proud, great sharp horns standing out from their heads. A human was on the back of a slightly different creature, with long hair on its neck and by its anus, and the human was making the sharp horned beasts move with a wave of a long, skinny device.

"_Cows and horses lived side by side, but they were for completely different purposes. The horses, which you see the human is riding, were used for strength, endurance and longevity. They could carry a human on their back for days, and lived on grasses. The cows lived on grass as well, but they were too difficult to use for riding, so they were primarily used as food."_

The young spirit was intrigued by the idea of having to ingest ones' energy. The idea of not being able to transform the rays of the Father into her energy source was a new one, and she tried desperately to understand the concept.

"_And so some of the creatures consumed the grass, and others consumed them, correct?"_

Her fathers both nodded, pleased with her progress in the lesson. It had taken some others far longer to grasp these concepts than it had for their own little daughter.

"_Did the humans ever consume the grass instead of the creatures?"_

The shorter father laughed, a bright sound that tinkled as water did over rocks. He slid his arm forward, exchanging a brief spurt of energy with his daughter, allowing her to see his pleasure in her question.

"_They did consume the grasses, and other plants as well. The food that was provided by the creatures they slaughtered wasn't enough for them to survive on alone. They would eat plants and the fruit from those plants, as well as seeds and bark and leaves. I understand this is difficult for you to comprehend, but plants were made of several parts, most of which could be consumed by the humans."_

The puzzled look on the young spirits' face cleared; she had never experienced plants, and so had no idea what to even imagine when thinking about a plant. The idea fascinated her, that something could have so many parts to it.

"_And where did the plants come from? Did the Mother create them too?"_

Her taller father chuckled, a sound that reminded her of the wind as it raced across the mountains.

"_Yes, the Mother created the plants, with the help of the Father, and some rain and soil. All plants began as a seed, a tiny container of life that blew in to a small patch of soil, getting buried in the dirt. When the Father shone upon it, His rays allowed it to open. When the rain fell, it helped the seed to open a little further. A tiny bit of life emerged from the seed, growing green toward the Father. Eventually, the head pokes back out of the soil, getting stronger and taller with every day that passes. Now imagine, billions upon billions of those tiny seeds, floating all over the Earth. Plants everywhere. Green in all places. Can you imagine that?"_

The spirit closed her eyes, nodding. The flow of green everywhere was calming, and a small smile played on her lips as she imagined. In time, her own grey-green eyes opened once more, and she gave a tiny sigh.

"_I would like to have seen that. The green seems so wonderful. Do you think it will ever happen?"_

Her fathers shivered slightly in the breeze, the spirit equivalent of a shrug. They couldn't know. There was a reason that they had brought their youngest daughter to this place, but would she be ready for the outcome if they proposed it to her?

"_Before we answer, we need to show you one more thing. It will be difficult for you to watch. But it must be shown. For you need to know all of the human's history, not just some of it."_

Together, they all returned their attention to the window, and the young spirit gasped again as she saw the result of giant explosions, death and destruction as it ravaged the land. Her heart broke once more, and she couldn't hold back the small screams that erupted from her at the sights. Being spirit, her eyes didn't have the ability to weep, but her sorrow could be felt in the slump of her body, the devastated look in her eyes. The horrors continued until the window went blank, and her small form shivered in the light breeze.

"_Why? Why would mankind commit these horrors?"_

Her whisper was directed to no one in particular, as her head was slumped down in grief, her body fading gently as her tenuous hold on this world began to fade. Her taller father reached forward, and slipped his fingers through her form, helping her to re-solidify.

"_No one knows, my daughter. Some speculate that it is simply the way humans are made. Others state that the resources of the Mother weren't enough to supply all of the humans that walked on her surface, and it became a struggle to determine who would survive. What we do know, however, is that by the end of the second millennia the Earth Mother had had enough of these humans defacing her."_

The scene shifted again, and it showed giant waves tumbling over the people, destroying everything in their paths. Wind and water and rock rained down in different forms, and earth moved below their feet, sometimes rising up in molten form to destroy the horrors the humans had created. The young spirit wept without tears for the loss of the human race.

"_How long? How long has it been since humans walked the Mother?"_

The child-like voice that resonated from the young spirit tugged at the heartstrings of both of her parents. They looked at one another, and drifted towards her, both allowing their fingers to wander through her form in compassion.

"_Eight millennia have passed since the humans walked this world, daughter. Eight millennia, and still no grasses grow on this world. No creatures have returned to swarm over its surface. Eight millennia, we have watched and waited, hoping for the return of the once vibrant life we used to love so dearly. Eight millennia, we have waited for the One."_

The young spirit raised her eyes to the Father in the sky, contemplating. Her fathers waited, watching her carefully. She seemed to be deciding something, deep in her mind. They watched with hesitation, carefully monitoring her expressions. They prayed she would be the one they had been waiting for, but they couldn't push her. If they did, they might have to wait another millennia before they had another chance. The young spirit looked back to her fathers, a soft smile playing on her own lips now.

"_This is the reason you brought me here, isn't it? This is my destiny. I had to learn about the forces of life and death, destruction and renewal, and then I would be given a choice. Am I correct?"_

If the spirits before her could have wept with joy, they gladly would have done so now. They were so proud of their daughter, who had come to the correct conclusion on her own, without having to be led by them too much. They nodded, sharing their glad energy with her, showing her how proud they were.

"_We were unsure you would be able to understand the process, my daughter. We have tried and failed many times over the millennia to explain the situation to our children. They have either been too devastated by the carnage to wish to help, or too overwhelmed by the task to even attempt to complete it. We both felt that you might be the one to stand up to the task, however. From the moment you were created, you have always been someone special."_

The young spirit slipped forward, both of her arms floating freely though her fathers', attempting to show them her dedication to the task. Her eyes flickered up to watch them, the love she felt circling them and herself.

"_Tell me, what is the task you wish me to pursue, fathers? I am ready, and I wish to never let you down."_

Both fathers felt the love surrounding them, and in turn returned the feelings of love along with ones of trust and devotion. Together, as a family, they turned toward the window in the air, still shimmering with the fading light of the Father.

"_My daughter, we wish to see this world reborn. It has been far too long since the Mother died, she should have been reborn by now, but none were able to complete the task. We beg of you to renew her life."_

The window shimmered once more, the view gradually getting closer to the ground, centring on a tiny seed. The little family could feel the pulsing of the small seed, the life force inside begging to be released. All it needed was a small spark to grow; a spark of life that only one soul would be able to provide it.

"_I will do this, fathers. I understand. The Mother, she waits to return to her former glory. But fathers, what will happen to her if the humans are created once more?"_

The fathers looked once more at one another, soft smiles playing over each man's face. The young spirit could feel the love that passed between them as well, like a warmth that spread across the land after the cold of the snow season.

"_When the humans return, and we believe they will, they will complete the circle. Humans have been on the Mother for as long as time has been chronicled. They belong here. There is no better place in the universe for them to be. She will care for them, and they for her, until the time comes for her to reduce them once more. Then the cycle will complete again."_

The girl-spirit nodded her understanding. She floated forward, past the window to an open spot on the hard-packed ground. Her fathers simply watched, their pride glowing in their eyes as they watched her searching.

"_I can feel them. They are here, fathers."_

She floated gently to a stop, raising her eyes to once more regard her fathers. Her form condensed, slowly sagging to the ground as she felt the weight of the seed before her. Her eyes lowered again, seeking out the small pulsing container of life in the dark soil. Her arm reached out, carefully, stopping just before she touched the ground. A final smile swept over her face, jubilant as she felt the essence of the seed take hold of her heart, and with a small sigh of satisfaction, she released her form.

Her fathers watched as the young spirits' form dissolved, her essence absorbed into the dark material that had lain at her feet. With a soft whooshing sound, the essence spread, slowly at first, but more rapidly as it left the central seed. The essence spread from seed to seed, sparking life to all seeds.

The fathers sighed softly, bereft of the love of their daughter, but knowing that she had given her essence, her soul, to renew the life of the Mother. And soon, within a couple of years, they watched her life force as it grew, the grasses at first, followed by small, stunted bushes, and eventually trees.

Her life was everywhere. _She_ was everywhere. And when the smallest of creatures began to wander over the Mother once more, her essence was in them, as well. And they remembered their daughter.

Their daughter had brought the life back to the Mother. And the circle continued.

* * *

**_Thank you._**


End file.
